#because that definitely invalidates a lot of great stories and rep

[jerseymuppet]

Honestly even though Gerard accepted the headcanon on twitter I don’t count nb party poison as canon bc I’m a firm believer in death of the author. If it wasn’t in the text itself it doesn’t count for me like all the shit jkr said about Harry Potter on twitter

That’s valid! I don’t really think I agree? Like, party poison is kind of an outlier in terms of death of the author because you can’t really separate the character from the creator, so the example you gave isnt really comparable. Party poison is a self insert character through and through, especially seeing as they were literally created with the intention of Gerard playing them. Personally, I find it really cool that he saw what fans were saying about party poison and got involved in the discussion and made it canon; a lot of creators get very defensive (which is valid too as long as it isn’t coming from a place of bigotry) when you head canon a self insert character like that. I also just think it’s really weird when people need something to be explicitly canon to take it seriously? Idk! This is a harmless ask and we can agree to disagree

[thebibliosphere]

So I'm currently unemployed because I got fired for taking too much sick leave (it was legally sketchy blah blah blah but in the end I just can't work and take care of myself and investigate my mystery health problems at the same time). So I've been spending more time writing!

I really admire your writing and loved Hunger Pangs. I'm looking forward to the poly elements developing and I'm wondering if you have any advice for writing about poly. I've made one of my projects a snarky take on "write what you know" ... Apparently what I know is southern gothic meets Pacific northwest gothic, chronic illness pandemic surrealism, and falling back-asswards into threesomes.

I know this is a very open-ended question and I don't expect an answer, I'm just curious about it if you have the energy. As a writer, trying to write honestly / realistically about polyamory/enm, I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what's different about portraying monogamy or nonmonogamy in books, romance or erotica or otherwise.

I'm trying to read examples but it's hard to find examples that fit the niche I'm looking at. Excuse me if this question is nonsense, it's the cluster headaches.

I'm sorry to hear you've been dealing with all that and solidarity on the cluster headaches. But I'm glad you're finding an outlet through writing! And I hope you're happy with an open-ended ramble in response because oh boy, there's a lot I could talk about and I could probably do a better job of answering this sort of thing with more specific questions, but let's see where we end up.

There's definitely a big difference between writing polyamory/ENM (ethical non-monogamy) and what people often expect from monogamous love stories.

Just even from a purely sales and marketing standpoint, the moment you write anything polyamorous (or even just straight up LGBTQIA+ without the ENM) you're going to get considered closer to being erotica/obscene than hetero romances. It's an unfair bias, but it's one that exists in our society. But also the Amazon algorithm and their shitty, shitty human censors. Especially the ones that work the weekends. (Talking to you, Carlos 🖕.)

So not only do you start out hyper-aware that you're writing something that is highly stigmatized or fetishized (at least I'm hyper-aware) but that you are also writing for a niche market that is starving for positive content because the content that exists is either limited, not what they want, or is problematic in some fashion i.e. highly stigmatized or fetishy. And even then, the wants, desires, and expectations of the community you're writing for are complex and wildly varied and hard to fit into an easy formula.

When writing monogamous love stories, there is a set expectation that’s really hard to fuck up once you know it. X person meets Y. Attraction happens, followed by some sort of minor conflict/resolution. Other plot may happen. A greater catalyst involving personal growth for both parties (hopefully) happens. Follow the equation to its ultimate resolution and achieve Happily Ever After. 

But writing ENM is... a lot more difficult, if only because of the pure scope of possibilities. You could try to follow the same equation and shove three (or more) people into it, but it rarely works well. Usually because if you’re doing it right, you won’t have enough room in a single character arc to allow for enough growth, and if ENM requires anything in abundance, it’s room to grow.

And this post is huge so I’m going to put the rest under a cut :)

There's also a common refrain in certain online polyam/ENM circles that triads and throuples are overrepresented in media and they may be right to some extent. Personally, I believe the issue isn't that triads and throuples are overrepresented, but that there is such minuscule positive rep of ethical non-monogamy in general, that the few tiny instances we have of triads in media make it seem like it's "everywhere" when in actuality, it's still quite rare and the media we do have often veers into Unicorn Hunter fetish porn. Which is its own problematic thing. And just to be clear, I’m not including this part to dissuade you from writing "falling back-asswards into threesomes." If anything, I need more of it and would hook it directly into my brain if I could. I'm just throwing it out there into the void in the hope that someone will take the thought and run with it, lol.

I’d love to see more polyfidelitous rep in fiction, just as much as I’d like to see more relationship anarchy too. More diversity in fiction is always good.

Another thing that differs in writing ENM romance vs conventional monogamy is the feeling like you need to justify yourself. There's a lot of pressure to be as healthy and non-problematic as possible because you are being held to a higher standard of criticism. Both from people from without the ENM communities, and from the people within. Granted, some people don't give a shit and just want to read some fantastic porn (valid) but there are those who will cheerfully read Fifty Shades of Bullshit and call it "spicy" and "romantic," then turn around and call the most tooth-rottingly-sweet-fluff about a queer platonic polycule heresy. That's just the way the world works.

(Pro-tip for author life in general: never read your own reviews; that way madness lies. I glimpsed one the other day that tagged Hunger Pangs as “ethical cheating” and just about had an aneurism.)

And while that feeling of needing to justify yourself comes from a valid place of being excluded from the table of socially accepted norms, it can also be to the detriment of both the story and the subject matter at hand. I've seen some authors bend so far over backward to avoid being problematic in their portrayal of ENM, they end up being problematic for entirely different reasons. Usually because they give such a skewed, rose-tinted perspective of how things work, it ends up coming off as well... a bit culty and obnoxious tbh.

“Look how enlightened we are, freed from the trappings of monogamy and jealousy! We’re all so honest and perfect and happy!”

Yeah, uhu, sure Jan. Except here’s the thing, not all jealousy is bad. How you act on it can be, but jealousy itself is an important tool in the junk drawer that is the range of human emotion. It can clue us in to when we’re feeling sad or neglected, which in turn means we should figure out why we’re feeling those things. Sometimes it’s because brains are just like that and anxiety is a thing. Other times it’s because our needs are actually being neglected and we are in an unhealthy situation we need to remedy. You gotta put the work in to figure it out. Which is the same as any style of relationship, whether it’s mono, polyam or whatever flavor of ENM you subscribe to* And sometimes you just gotta be messy, because that’s how humans are. Being afraid to show that mess makes it a dishonest portrayal, and it also robs you of some great cannon fodder for character development.

Which brings me in a roundabout way to my current pet peeve in how certain writers take monogamous ideals and apply them to ENM, sometimes without even realizing it. The “Find the Right Person and Settle Down” trope.

Often, in this case, ENM or polyamory is treated as a phase. Something you mature out of with age or until you meet “The One(tm).” This is, of course, an attempt to follow the mono style formula expected in most romances. And while it might appeal to many readers, it’s uh, actually quite insulting. 

To give an example, I am currently seeing this a lot in the Witcher fandom. 

Fanon Netflix!Jaskier is everyone's favorite ethical slut until he meets Geralt then woops, wouldn’t you know, he just needed to find The One(tm). Suddenly, all his other sexual and romantic exploits or attractions mean nothing to him. Let's watch as he throws away a core aspect of his personality in favor of a man. 

Yeah... that sure showed those societal norms... 

If I were being generous, I’d say it’s a poor attempt at showing New Relationship Euphoria and how wrapped up people can become in new relationships. But honestly, it’s monogamous bias eking its way in to validate how special and unique the relationship is. Because sometimes people really can’t think of any other way to show how important and valid a relationship is without defining it in terms of exclusivity. Which is a fundamental misunderstanding of how ENM works for a lot of people and invalidates a lot of loving, serious and long-term relationships.

This is not to say that some polyam/poly-leaning people can't be happy in monogamous relationships! I am! (I consider myself ambiamorous. I'm happy with either monogamy or polyamory, it really just depends on the relationship(s) I’m in.) But I also don't regard my relationship with a mono partner as "settling down" or "growing up." It's just a choice I made to be with a person I love, and it's a valid one. Just like choosing to never close yourself off to multiple relationships is valid. And I wish more people realized that, or rather, I wish the people writing these things knew that :P

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough. I hope this collection of incoherent thoughts actually makes some sense and might be useful. 

----

*A good resource book that doesn't pull any punches in this regard is Polysecure by Jessica Fern. It's a wonderfully insightful read that explores the messier side of consensual non-monogamy, especially with how it can be affected by trauma or inter-relationship conflicts. But it also shows how to take better steps toward healthy, ethical non-monogamy (a far better job than More Than Two**) and conflict resolution, making it a valuable resource both for someone who is a part of this relationship style***, but also for writers on the outside looking in who might have a very simple or misguided idea of what conflict within polyam/ENM relationships might look like, vs traditional monogamous ones.

** The author of More Than Two has been accused of multiple accounts of abuse within the polyamorous community, with many of his coauthors having spoken out about the gaslighting and emotional and psychological damage they experienced while in a relationship with him. A lot of their stories are documented here: https://www.itrippedonthepolystair.com/ (warning: it is not light material and deals with issues of abuse, gaslighting, and a whole other plethora of Yikes.) While some people still find More Than Two helpful reading, there are now, thankfully, much, much better resources out there.

*** Some people consider polyam/ENM to be part of their identity or orientation, while others view it as a relationship style.It largely depends on the individual. 

[steamberrystudio]

As someone who has read amazing YA books with LGBTQIA+ rep by authors who are allies and LGBTQIA+ members; this whole #ownvoices going on in the indie VN community is upsetting. There should never be fear of writing LGBTQIA+ rep. I understand that it is important to uplift queer creators but if that means condemning someone for writing diverse cast of characters, then no. And yes, I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m latine, gnc before someone asks. What people need to do is TRUST authors to know what they’re doing and trust them that they know their responsibility when it comes to representation. I discovered my first queer character in a kickass YA Fantasy book by a woman who was an ally of the community. That character and rep meant the world to me. I would hate to see people become afraid of having representation in their work over this debate. We should be celebrating queer rep in every work no matter if they’re allies or LGBTQIA+ members. I do agree that supporting queer creators is absolutely important in a community but not if it means shaming others from writing diverse characters or representation. Otherwise we’d have a problem where we’ll end up demanding that creators include rep in their work if all we’re seeing is white cishet characters and accuse them of being homophobic

I do think it would be nice if we could always just assume positive intent when it comes to creators.

But I do understand why people can't always do that. I know there are years of frustration, hurt, and sometimes trauma behind some opinions.

I think what it comes down to for me is this:

1. If there is a game that includes some kind of PoV representation (IE. with the main character(s) through whose point of view we are seeing the story), it would be great to assume it's there because the author felt comfortable writing that point of view (perhaps because it's their own). Even if the experience portrayed differs from your own, you can't assume the author was outside their lane and didn't know what they were doing; nor should you demand they prove themselves to you by sharing their experiences in a public setting to defend themselves. By harshly judging things that don't align to our personal experiences, we can potentially invalidate the lived experiences of the creator or any authenticity/diversity editors that worked with them. I do think we have to be open to diverse representation portrayed in diverse ways.

Even within my family, we often have very different opinions about representation that affects us.

2. Conversely, if there is a game that does NOT include some kind of PoV representation you want, just understand it's very possible that it's outside the developer's experience and they genuinely do not want to mess it up or take the spotlight off other creators who can write that PoV authentically. Many devs are happy to include representation outside of the point of view characters while keeping the point of view character closer to their own experience as a way to balance inclusion and authenticity on both sides of the process.

As I said in my last post on this topic, I think this is a complicated and dynamic topic. There are so many opinions on how representation (of all kinds - not just LGBTQIA+) should be handled and who is equipped to write what. Some of those opinions conflict with each other but are equally valid.

Some creators make different decisions than I make. And I may make different decisions with future projects. I have not locked myself into a single path forever and ever. Every project is different!

I'm definitely not a Representation Authority (tm). I, like a lot of creators, just try to gently feel out the right path for each project. I want my audience to feel represented and reflected in my work and I also want my work to be authentic.

A lot of my time and emotional energy goes toward contemplating that balance and how to approach it.

Thanks so much for stopping by to share your own thoughts on this subject.

[rllymilerlly]

Carving a path doesn't make it good. They held hands once right before the end. That isnt good rep, it was just an improvement for ths time

Ya but because of that it allowed networks to approve of future representation. And within the comics they do get explorered more. Unfortunately for the time they couldn’t do more. Would’ve it been awesome if they did? Yeah it would’ve

But gay representation within media has for the most part been pretty awful. Networks for a long time would only allow lgbt people be portrayed as villains, or they would have to die in some way (aka bury the gay trope). Korra was one of the first mainstream media’s (especially on a kids network) to portray an lgbt relationship. Especially a relationship with the heroine of the story. It was a giant risk for the network to allow to happen, so they probably weren’t allowed to do anything too explicit.

There is better lgbt representation now, and we can thank Korra for a part of that. It was well received and when it released it meant a lot to many lgbt people. And I don’t think we should ever invalidate that. It’s about looking at the bigger picture for me.

Also I still don’t know why you think it’s bad representation. Which is definitely why I’m having a hard time to see your side of things. Because to me Korra and Asami are both great, strong characters. They were friends for a long time who cared about each other and in the end it was hinted at something more. And then further established in the comics. To me, that’s amazing. I’m glad a character like Korra, someone a lot of young girls can look up to, is a bisexual woman. But I think there is miscommunication between the two of us on why you believe they are bad representation. I don’t think I’m getting the full story. I think that could help me understand your perspective

[korranguyen]

So, rightfully and expectedly, there’s been some controversy floating around regarding The Dragon Prince on the Queens of Duren and the implications of those characters/LGBT rep/falling into the BYG trope. While Aaron Ehasz himself addressed the issue via Twitter, the explanation (due to the nature of Twitter) was cut rather brief, and thus left open-ended to a wide variety of interpretations.

I came across an interview a couple days ago where Ehasz provided a much more in-depth look into what motivated that narrative decision and the mindset he has in facing the controversy, and I thought it added a lot of important and thoughtful insight. Since very few besides myself are obsessed with TDP content to the point of willingly listening to a 50+ minute podcast, I thought I’d transcribe a bit of that conversation for y’all who may or may not care.

The purpose of this post is not to defend Ehasz or invalidate any frustration with the decision, but rather to provide some much-needed comfort of context to those who are still hurt, angry, or confused. I hope it helps put a couple minds at ease, particularly for those who found themselves asking why the trope was recognized by the staff but played into nonetheless, though I wholeheartedly understand if it doesn’t.

(As for my own perspective, I’ll post that in a reblog)

@dragonprinceofficial

Joe: “There is a trope of LGBT characters dying in media. Sometimes it is exploitative, for cheap, like, ah, gotcha kind of emotions—”

AE: “Some people call it the ‘bury your gays’ trope. And often it is that uh, a character is presented as, like, ‘Heres the rep you wanted; here’s a gay character. There, aren’t you happy,’ and then almost immediately, rather than actually dealing with building out an actual character, they kill the character off, they do something, and… and they, you know, as if that counts. It’s like, ‘Wait, why did you… You acted like you were giving us something, but you gave us nothing! You just pointed to a character who was there for five minutes.’

“So, it’s a trope we are aware of and very sensitive to. It’s a problematic trope. In the case of Season 2, and kind of the story we’re telling, um, we had this character we  were very excited about: this young queen, Queen Aanya. And… we knew she was a young queen because her parents were dead. Her parents had died when she was a baby. And we knew we were going to tell the backstory of how this happened because it involves Harrow and Queen Sarai. And when I was thinking about this character, I was thinking of this very poise, confident young woman, and I thought a lot about my daughter, and I thought a lot about my niece. My sister, who is a lesbian, and is married to a wonderful woman and they have a beautiful family, a beautiful relationship; for me it provided a lot of the inspiration for how I was thinking about Aanya and how we started to think about her family. And we thought well, that’s cool, this makes sense, she’s this really strong young woman; it would make sense if they came from a culture where women are strong and powerful and recognized and uh, and it’s just not even, you know, questioned. And so you know that could be interesting, that could be cool— we actually talked to my sister and she was like, ‘Oh that’s awesome, that’s great!’

“And then as we talked about it in the writer’s room, we kind of… we immediately, we were like, ‘Hang on, though, wait a minute. So we’re saying we’re gonna give her gay parents, but they’re dead.’ And so… So we thought it through; we tried to.. you know, we kind of went back and forth. Part of what we thought was, ok well, we don’t think this is bait, because we’re not saying, ‘Here are some gay characters, and ah, surprise, we’re taking them away from you’. We’re actually saying, ‘Here are some dead characters, and surprise, they’re gay’. So it’s a little bit of the reverse in that sense. So hopefully it doesn’t feel like… like that part of it.

“We also thought through, well, if we make her parents a heterosexual couple, is that better for her character, and is it better for our audience or community cause now we’re not falling into the trope. And so we tried to weigh all this and thought well, we’re not falling into the trope, but she’s less interesting, and there is less representation diversity cause now we have all the kings and queens we’ve ever seen on the show are all heterosexual couples and so, um… so we made the judgment call that even though we knew we were gonna be pushing up against the trope that it was still cooler and more representative to have these awesome powerful queens be a couple. And um, so that’s… that’s what we chose.

“I hope when people see it that they love this character of Queen Aanya and they love that her history is of these two powerful amazing women were her parents and that people love that, even though we understand that, you know, the history or the context of things like this are… is problematic. So I know this was kind of a long-winded answer, but I guess it’s my way of saying, like, we’re really thoughtful about it, we’re really interested to see what the community thinks when they... When they see it, we hope a lot of people are, like, ‘Yeah, this was a good decision,’ and we’re also going to be listening for people who are like, ‘No, you guys messed up, and here’s why’. We’re going to be listening and we’re going to want to be a part of that conversation. Um, we do have a long story that we’re hoping to tell, with this world and these characters, so this is definitely not, like, going to be, well, here’s your rep; there is more rep in the future of Dragon Prince as this story unfolds.”

Joe: “I think uh… I think for me, one of the saving graces was for Queen Aanya, even though she really never really knew her parents, and… and she was a tragic figure in her own right, you could still feel the guidance of, like, the world her parents built for her, through whatever you can assume their leadership style was, you can see that in her confrontation with Viren, and saying, like, ‘You know what? Here are all the points you’ve raised are completely valid, I respect and acknowledge them, but that isn’t the world that I see my parents have built for me’… She says, the same way you helped save 50,000 of my people, I’m not going to condemn a million of my people to death and basically throw the numbers out of whack.”

—(Source)

[itsclydebitches]

My response to there's not enough art with (insert thing) is to first, make it yourself. Be the change you want to see. Ok you aren't interested making art. that's fine. Support people who do make it financially. Give them money. Show everyone that you can make art that has this in it and can be financially viable. Art made on big budgets for big audiences needs assurance it can make that back. Niche art exist for that very reason. To please a smaller audience with a more specific thing.

Hard same, anon. I mentioned this in another message to someone else, but just to reiterate: I never intend to come across as antagonistic, aggressive, etc. Though I’m also fully aware that can easily happen when you have no tone of voice/body language to draw from and you’re discussing subjects that everyone is already passionate about lol. So yeah, not in any way here for insulting anyone. 

I already laid out  that same stance you hold: art should be allowed to exist, even if we end up critiquing it later. Broad-stroke censorship is definitely not the answer here. 

And I 100% agree with the idea to “be the change you want to see in the world,” with the caveat that everyone acknowledge how difficult that can be. Meaning, it’s easy to say, “If you want [X Representation] just write your own book.” So you do... and then no one wants to publish it.*** Because (as you mention with Hollywood) the major industries tend to be dominated by certain demographics and they also tend to be stuck in their ways. Change is hard and, sadly, very slow moving--so when we see a foothold in anything substantially popular, like RWBY, it’s sometimes good to make the most of it, pointing out where representation might be improved upon (which is again admittedly subjective) so that the next time someone manages it we take another step forward. 

(***Granted, we are living in a digital age where the lines between mainstream and personal publications are blurring. We can also say, “If no one will publish your book with [X Representation] just publish it yourself,” but we also have to acknowledge that self-publication will never get the traction that mainstream publishing does. Certainly not the same money, the same chance at adaptations, the same chance at impacting people, etc. We do see the occasional self-published hit, but I think of those like airplane crashes. Meaning, we THINK there’s a lot of them because only the crashes are reported on the news; no one emphasizes the thousands of planes landing safely every day. In the same way, we might THINK there’s a lot of self-published hits because those are the ones that get all the attention. No one is pointing out the thousands of novels out there with forward-thinking rep that languish.) 

Yes, there’s certainly more queer art out then there ever was before, but in my opinion it’s also a mistake to act like that’s enough. After all, there’s a reason we usually have an LGBTQ section in bookstores. The implication is that this is removed from the rest of fiction; it’s a niche interest that only a few are interested in. As opposed to, you know, an accurate representation of a huge portion of the population. I just finished A Discovery of Witches--a series I utterly adored--but that’s nevertheless an excellent example of the (still) standard storytelling setup. We got one minor gay character, which was great, but when you compare that to everything else... the het main couple, the het relationship that can’t be, the main het side couple, the het grandparents, the numerous other het side pairings... it reinforces that one type of relationship is “normal” and the other is tucked in as a “rare” treat. And this is actually what a lot of queer stories are. Not stories about queer characters. Not stories with queer characters. Just stories that happen to have one (1) queer person somewhere in the world. That’s actually something I love about RWBY now. Ilia’s initial treatment aside, we have her, the Cotta-Arcs, and now presumably Blake and Yang. That’s a ton more than you usually find in more mainstream media. 

Also, as a sort of side note, I came across a section in one of my readings that pertains to our discussion as a whole. This is from Ronald Berger’s Introducing Disability Studies where he talks about the “What’s wrong with the artist’s vision?” question. Here he’s tackling Million Dollar Baby where, if you haven’t seen it, a boxer who becomes a quadriplegic begs her coach to help her commit assisted suicide. 

Disability scholars and activists were dismayed that so many viewers and reviewers of the film seemed to sympathize with the decision to kill the disabled character, as if her life no longer had meaning. Maggie did not even have the opportunity to receive counseling or physical therapy to adapt to her new condition and consider her options for living in the world. “Disability Is Not a Death Sentence” and “Not Dead Yet” read protest signs in Chicago, Illinois, and Berkeley, California (Davis 2005; Haller 2010).

Some nondisabled film columnists, such as liberal writers Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich, were equally dismayed at the protesters’ response: What’s all the fuss? Isn’t this just one artist’s view of the situation? Doesn’t Eastwood, as a filmmaker, have the right to make any film he wants? ...

Lennard Davis (2005), among others, wants people to understand that disabled people’s opposition to the film was not about Eastwood’s anti-ADA politics, or about the storyline of Million Dollar Baby alone, but about the entire social and cultural apparatus that invalidates the experience of people with disabilities. According to Davis, the issue is not simply

“that Eastwood is speaking his mind. It’s that he’s speaking the mind of a country that is largely ignorant of the issues and politics around disability. . . . The history of oppression of disabled people is unknown to most people, and so they see disability as an individual tragedy, worthy of being turned into a movie, and not as political oppression and the struggle to fight that oppression. . . . It’s a lot easier to make a movie in which we weep for the personal defeat of a person who loses a leg or two, or cry with joy for the triumph of an individual with disabilities, than it is to change the whole way we as a society envision, think about, and deal with people who are disabled. (p. 2)”

[Gestures vaguely at people more eloquent than me as I align the same broad arguments with the queer movement] lol 

[alastheatlas]

Why Klance/Laith Will Probably Go Down - Masterlist

I know how season 7 broke many of us. We had a lot of expectations and this season, while beautiful and otherwise good, certainly failed at some points.

However it isn’t the end yet. Hopefully season 8 will resolve at least some of our disappointments. But when it comes to klance/laith, I’m pretty sure we’re going to see something happen. Nothing has to happen however. But I’m just saying, based on all of the things listed, it just simply makes sense that it would.

This is just a show so whatever happens happens. But I'm just saying I'll have faith in laith until if the very last second of the show tells us any different. And here’s why.

Are you ready? [CONTAINS SEASON 7 SPOILERS!!]

-----------------------------------------------------

but first some lecturing lololol

WHATEVER HAPPENS AND WHICHEVER SHIP BLOWS OUT THE BIG CANON IN THE END IS FINE. IT'S JUST A SHOW. A SHOW THAT DOESN'T EVEN REVOLVE AROUND ROMANCE. If you can't handle that then you can go bite ass. Oh and also, Don’t spread around hate or threats or any shit like that. You should know better. Just enjoy the show as it is. And yes, this applies to if your ship becomes canon and if it doesn’t. Spreading hate and threats are never okay. Accept whatever the outcome of the show will be, and let people ship what they want. This isn’t your story and you shouldn’t become sour just because it doesn’t go the way you want it to go, and if it does go the way you want it to go, don’t rub it in the faces of those who wanted something different.

Just be mature and decent guys, it really ain’t that hard.

-----------------------------------------------------

ANYWAY here's my half-assed list of why I believe klance/laith will be endgame by the end of the series:   

[I REPEAT THIS CONTAINS SOME S7 SPOILERS]

Let’s begin with some random stuff:

Lance’s one-sided rivalry with Keith seems to... have something a little extra about it.

The blue and the red star in the astral plane?? Do they hold a deeper meaning??

The bonding moment. It could be seen as platonic, but... The colours and the lightning y'all... Interesting choice. (Also... that a//urance parallel in season 6... Coincidence I think the heck not, purposeful I think the heck yes)

Keith being seemingly really impatient for Lance to come out of the healing pod after the bonding moment, and then appearing to actually sulk for having to wait just a small moment.

In one of the comic books Keith says that he’ll be training and suggests that maybe Lance should too, maybe or maybe not wanting to hang out with Lance and trying to create an opportunity, and then seems to become upset/disappointed when Lance rejects the idea.

Lance talking to the mice about his crush on Allura could honestly pass  as him talking about Keith as well. 

Honestly though was Lance flirting/trying to impress Keith as pointed out here x?

They really pulled the stuck in the elevator trope lmao.

This doesn’t actually have to do with anything but I still find it a funny parallel with Lance rejecting Keith by denying the bonding moment and Keith rejecting Lance and denying him a proper greeting and hug after returning. Are they even now? fuhidsdfu top 10 anime betrayals

The Feud episode (here are the s7 spoilers!!)

Lance chose Keith (read more here x). Look, listen. This was pretty gay. To put it briefly, Lance’s reasoning was kinda weak and he could’ve honestly as well have chosen Allura here. But... he didn’t. And then he seriously says that Keith is the future which is like honest foreshadowing (especially considering how unnecessary it was for him to say that part, at the very least in that way). And then to deliver the final blow he drops that soft smile (a la bonding moment) on us. I don’t care what happens in season 8, this moment was gay af. If I’m stretching a little bit this scene could be viewed a little bit like Lance choosing between Keith and Allura (looking to the side and then the other, pondering, choosing Keith).

Keith chose Lance (same read more link x). Again to put it briefly. We know Keith seems kinda grumpy here. You know what we also know? Keith doesn’t dislike Lance, and he cares about the fate of the universe, therefore invalidating his answer. His body language and expression alone said it all; he closed himself off. He wasn’t comfortable sharing the real reason why he chose Lance. Keith no doubt knows what Lance is capable of. He trusts Lance. Keith chose Lance for a reason (or several reasons), and him ‘not wanting to be stuck for eternity with him’ is definitely not the reason why Keith voted for Lance to escape. Worthy mention of Keith being the quickest here to choose and to finish.

Bii. Boh. Bi. Y’all. This shit. Call it a funny coincidence but the answer was “bi” and the Bii-Boh-Bi kept gesturing towards Lance basically during the entire thing. Call it a stretch if you want, but I have no regrets reaching for this cup. And call it a crack theory at this point but Bob tells the Bii-Boh-Bi “Maybe you could help this dum-dum out”, so this drink tastes like whatever-this-episode-even-was wanted to give Lance a shake. The name game wasn’t even valid. You can be bad at names and bad at remembering faces and still be incredibly smart. None of the games showed Lance actually being unintelligent. And Lance actually did very well in the last game, and I can tell you that game was confusing af so I’m impressed. With this in mind my arm has personally elongated so far that maybe Bob calling Lance ‘dumb’ here wasn’t a jab at his intelligence. Ok hi my ankle is broken but it was worth it. 

Interesting scenery colours and rainbows:

There are several cases of these, but they’re mostly subtle. I’ll leave some examples.

That one episode in season one (is it 06? or 07? you know the one) that is literally the bi flag. We have a lot of Lance in this ep.

In this ep we are also accompanied by at least two rainbows, one when Lance and Nyma fly across the water and another at the end when Keith teases Lance. (Honorable mention of Keith arguably checking Rolo out in this episode lol, we see u Keith x)

That episode when Lotor plays around with the paladins on that planet with the explosive gas, and when the team has split and Keith nears Lance with his lion and no kidding that's the bi flag as a background right there (upside down).

The very obvious, big ass, very not subtle rainbow that's seriously plastered on Keith in the season 7 trailer.

Random rainbow over Keith here as well

The scene where the paladins are in some galra place or something and Lance is sharpshooting and looking down at the others. Background + Lance’s suit + his gun = bi flag colours. 

Funnily enough in this scene when Keith shows up and starts fighting the galra robots (or whatever those things are) and Lance goes ‘I had that guy!’ he looks wayy too long at Keith. Like. Way too long.

Ogling/gloating and jealousy?:

“I’d recognize that mullet anywhere” I’m sorry but if that doesn’t sound like someone has been ogling then I don’t know what.

Again I’m sorry but Lance’s reaction to Keith when he returned wasn’t of the straightest caliber.

Still, when Lance keeps looking at Keith fighting for several solid seconds when he’s supposed to be shooting down galra robots. Parallels a//urance in a way a little bit too when Lance looks at Allura fighting and goes ‘that was awesome!’

But Keith isn’t all that better, apparently

Keith. Out of all people. Stops mid-battle to smile at Lance when Lance shoots away a knife heading towards Keith. Not noticing Axca coming up behind him and then almost getting his ass kicked by Ezor.

After the bonding moment Keith arguably seems like he's jealous when Lance starts flirting.

(Here’s some more hehe x)

How Lance being jealous when Keith is involved could actually be interpreted as ambiguous. It is never actually clarified who he’s jealous over. why not both

Really though the "Jealousy, thy name is Keith" from the comic could possibly be more true than it lets on (though not as you think, Lance).

Honestly I’ll never get over these danking looks:

Lance you’re excused but Keith?? What?? Is that face?? The boy flirted with a girl and ran off and got his lion stolen and you had to get it back for him and you make THIS face?? (Also I think this is the same face 80′s voltron Keith did at Allura at one point?) 

Lance you’re no longer excused. He seriously looks like he's daydreaming of prince charming coming and sweeping him off his feet. (Also remember the face he made when talking about Mrs. Blue Lion x?)

KEITH. HONESTLY. WHAT.

Legit there are no excuses for any of these expressions.

Now for some parallels, some weaker some stronger:

[x] (Krolia/Texas and l0tura parallels, with a dash of Zarkon/Honerva)

[x] (a//urance and l0tura parallels)

[x] (s7 spoiler!), Might and might not be a reach but a//urance parallel (same energy lol))

[x] This entire scene (they make a great/good team). Let’s not forget the little hand glasp Lance does.

[x] (tlok parallel)

[x] (atla parallel)

[x] (atla and tlok parallel) Insert Lance in this context lol

[x] (tlok parallel)

[x] (a//urance parallel)

There are so many parallels tbh I can’t

Allura honestly parallels Keith so much and she LITERALLY plays Keith in the coalition shows

[x] Lance talking about Mrs. Blue Lion vs talking about Keith

[x] (l0tura parallel)

A//lurance and klance/laith paralleling with how both Keith and Allura lectures Lance about the coalition shows not being about the show but about the people 

Some romantic mood parallels:

The previous blue paladin with a (blushing) male galra

Now lets move on to some interesting stuff from interviews and the cast and producers (no sources or direct quotes because I’M LAZY:

We all know about the art Lauren drew with Lance and Shiro holding up the lgbt sign and the theory that goes with it.

Bex pretty much confirming that there'll be lgbtq rep in voltron through a sinister laugh in that vid (we know now this to be true bc of Shiro, but there might be more to come?.. or unfold hehe if you catch my drift). Voltron having lgbtq rep has also been brought up before at interviews. I THINK there’s been hinted that there’ll be a little something something between two characters? Not sure tho

Bex also either confirming or shooting down klance/laith during another vid BUT most probably confirming. You know that vid. Reasons to believe: 1. It was dubious, since we don't know which of the questions she shaked her head to. 2. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco was playing in the background. 3. I don't think she would actually openly deny a ship when she could have just ignored the question, much less making it so dubious.

Kimberly: "Friendship" (may or may not actually imply something within the future of the show, or if it just was @ the thorsty klancers)

We know that Lance will have an endgame (and Keith happens to check all the points of what’s been said about that endgame)

Lance will end up somewhere different than he thought at the start (he wanted Allura at the start, and Keith certainly would be someone different than he'd thought).

What he wants isn't necessarily what he needs(/gets?? I don't remember lol) (and we know he wanted Allura. plus the lion exchange becomes a pretty interesting topic here, as further talked about here x). 

What he needs/wants is someone who’s self-assured and who knows who they are (I think it was) and hey look Keith is back! (who just happens to fit these criterias more than ever).

The plain fact of how Keith and Lance's arcs actually just seem to intertwine so well.

Also adding that klance/laith interview lol. With the "natural progression" thing and that. And also when Lauren said the only incompatible thing about Lance and Keith is the shipname 'klance'. 

Lance’s milkshake bringing everybody to the yard.

It’s been said that Lance remembers the bonding moment but wasn’t ‘emotionally ready’ for it, whatever that could possibly mean 👀 

And apparently there’s more story to unfold... 

Which may or may not be related but sure makes this a hella lot more interesting (I find this cup worth reaching for ok)

(lmao if you seriously think the folding thing was an accident)

I’m not saying that the pic necessarily implies klance/laith but it certainly implies something with them. Which will be. Interesting.

Some interesting theories:

[x] Regarding the “Red lion” and the “Blue lion”

[x] Keith’s vlog and some interesting tagging

[x] Some possible, interesting foreshadowing?

Highkey Lowkey scared this is actually foreshadowing (from a comic, Keith is the one saying ‘isn’t that love’, and Lance is the other one)

Also some reaches because we love long arms:

[x] Rivals to friends to lovers foreshadowing lol

[x] Interesting... Funny coincidence?

[x] I know I know but honestly you can’t deny his face here

[x] I’ll also add this while I’m at it because I can 

(s7 spoiler ahead) Look this is just an interesting concept ok, but in episode 2 in s7 when they’re splitting up in that tunnel, Allura goes one way and Keith goes the other. We see Lance going last, slowing up and almost seeming to take a little time to choose, before going the way Keith went.

So uhh yeah here’s my grand, half-assed take on it. Season 7 can come bite my ass if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be on the lookout until the very last episode of season 8. Klance/laith may or may not happen. But I strongly believe it will and honestly that’s just what makes the most sense to me. 

But yeah reminder that ships doesn’t have to be canon for you to ship them, and if your ship becomes canon you should not harass others about it and you shouldn’t harass others if your ship doesn’t become canon either. All in all NO HARASSING. NO HATE. NO SHADE. JUST. BE DECENT. This includes to the creators and other people in the fandom both. 

Always be prepared for voltron to sock you in the stomach. Season 7 might very well do so. Season 8 might very well do so. Be prepared for your expectations and hopes and wishes to go completely out the window. But no matter how it goes, let’s just sit back and relax and enjoy the show as much as we can beyond our internal screaming.

In the end this is an intriguing story with aliens about family and being a team and it’s beautiful. So let’s just enjoy it, no matter what.

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY

[somewhere-inthemeadow]

Hi, I just wanted to ask about Jughead. I thought he was only confirmed as asexual and the aromantic thing was to be kind of decided/expanded upon? If this isn't the case I apologize! I kind of feel as though Betty and Jughead came out of nowhere and Betty was literally head over heels for Archie one second and then this. So I think the show would make a lot of sense if they realized they misunderstood their relationship because I mean they're 15 who has hormones figured out? Have a great day!

hi anon. I hope you have a great day too. I’m gonna do a brief summary of the issue cause there’s a billion people who could explain it better than me, I can guarantee.

jughead has always been written as tho he is aroace, even in the original archie canon. in his own spinoff, jughead has come out as asexual (using that exact word) and the writer of the spinoff has confirmed that he has been writing jughead with aromantic leanings. So essentially the voice of god has deemed that jughead is aroace (Its also implied throughout the canon that jughead is touch-averse, but that’s another issue).

Its too early in the morning for me to find receipts for these, but if you want me to I definitely can, or like just google them, they are not that hard to find.

I have a lot of issues with riverdale in general, but I feel like bughead attacks me personally due to the I N T E N T I O N A L erasure of jughead’s aromanticism and asexuality that the writers have no plans on correcting themselves on in the future. This shows that they do not think aces are WORTHY enough to be written about, that we do not DESERVE to see ourselves on tv and that because we are aroace, we inherently cannot be part of decent arcs because of our aroaceness. And thus we end up with a jughead that feels like he has had something cut out of him as the writers rewrite his whole being and force him into situations he is super uncomfortable in. 

To Sprouse’s credit (or this may just be me holding out hope for a character that I can connect with) jughead is still played, and kinda written, as though he is a confused aroace/aroace in denial. However, bughead seeks to erase any mention of the AROace part of his identity and that’s why a lot of the community is mad.

And let us not forget how DISRESPECTFUL the riverdale fandom is. They talk about jughead without know the damage his re-writing is doing to the ace and aro communities and how bughead personally invalidates us. And their bullshit ‘alternative universe’ is bullshit because as I have said before it goes to show how aphobic this fandom and show can be just so they can force a ship that was never meant to be onto a character that literally does not need one. There is romance between other characters in the show, you do not need to attack the A R O M A N T I C A S E X U A L and force him to fit your allo romance mould. 

it also proves that IF JUGHEAD HAD BEEN ANY OTHER KIND OF QUEER WE WOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS. people would accept jughead’s queerness and move on. how dare bughead shippers (or jarchie shippers for that matter) think they can talk over me, an aroace, about how I should be responding to a ship that personally invalidates ME! the sheer audacity you need to have to keep your hate ship going, knowing that seeing it being presented onstage is painful. What does it take you to understand that this ship tears something very important away from a character that represents a very underrepresented community and that by doing so tells us that we are not worthy of stories? that we are a lower class? and let us not forget the shippers that admit he is ace, but refuse to admit he is aro just so they can keep their ship afloat.

I am yet to write down my full thoughts on bughead, but trust me when I say a lot of the issues I have with it comes from the sheerness thickheadness of the bughead shippers and how they love to keep that aphobia coming.

Of course, riverdale in general is a shit show. There’s a reason that its only pulling a two star rating on netflix. the writing is shit and makes no sense (anyone who has ever paid any attention to my liveblog will know how I feel about this). In ep 1 betty was meant to be head over heels, irrevocably in love with archie, in ep 3 she wouldn’t have blinked if you said his name. there was also something going on with veronica and archie, but that was literally never mentioned again. and after the betty/veronica kiss in ep 1, did they ever even discuss that again?? cause I can tell you if someone kissed me and I wasn’t aware they were going to, and do it so publicly and unexpectedly, I would be flipping my shit.

Its things like that that show that riverdale was written by people who don’t really know what they are doing. And its things like the queer-baiting beronica kiss that show that river was written by non-queer writers. the way the show has handled its queer rep has been bullshit. I mean kevin says in either ep 3 or 4 that he wishes moose would just stay in the closet?? What kind of self respecting queer person would push away and further closet someone who is obviously struggling with themselves?? and do we get to know more about the snake guy from the drive in episode?? I reckon we won’t. The show is not progressive for having a gay character, and they way the have handled him is bullshit to say the least. 

And this doesn’t even begin to describe the show’s inability to deal with its own storylines. the writing is painful and I hate it but I keep holding out because jughead means a lot to me as an ace person. even without the consideration of queer rep, the plotlines in the show do not develop naturally or overlap with each other well enough to make this show any kind of Good. I mean, what was going on with the wolf masks in the fear ep?? I have written about this elsewhere but that makes no sense in writing or onstage?? This show has bitten off more than it can chew and I think it knows it.

Of course, it is reasonable that betty and jughead will break up in a few episodes, but to rectify the damage that bughead has caused, this breakup needs to be followed with jughead coming to terms with and being comfortable in his AROMANTIC ASEXUAL self. And the fandom but accept this and move on, or else continue to ship bughead in non-romantic ways. 

I am all down for this kind of arc, but something tells me that the writers do not have the guts to do something so bold.

I could rant on 5eva about bughead and riverdale in general but I’m gonna stop because it is early and I want today to be a good day